Chris Colfer joined me and Todd in the wine cave for a wild round of “Lima or Cleveland?” (I am terrible at this game), and I confessed about the state of my garage. Jordan and I also mixed up a pitch-black Halloween margarita you have to see. Oh, and come read along with me — join book club next week and your first month of VP Preferred is free with code READWITHVAL, before it expires 10/24.

Michael Burger has too many stories to cover in Still Hot, so Todd and I had him join us for The Wine Down to hear his stories about warm-up gigs gone sideways that you have to hear. Caitlin Crosby of The Giving Keys stopped by Getting Naked and left me thinking about radical self-acceptance for days. Plus a peanut butter protein ball experiment, a Halloween recipe playlist, and I’m live for AVA this Wednesday.

Candy, caramel apples, and a Halloween watch party where I'm live in the chat tomorrow — October's fully in swing over here. I also sat down with Tetyana Denford (the "nobody cares" genius) and Mackenzie for a conversation about letting go of other people's opinions that got me a little emotional. Plus a fifteen-minute Boursin pasta you'll want on repeat and my full gameday lineup for Sunday.

A "mocktail" that tastes like a treat, a Season 5 memory-lane trip with Jane Leeves (Betty forever), and October's full lineup dropping all at once — this week's got range. Plus 30% off my new favorite mixer brand, a fall-ready doughnut recipe, and a live pasta cook-along this Thursday. Football's back too, so I put together my full gameday playlist to match.

Mack and I finally went live together, Dave Foley came back to help close out Season 4 of Still Hot in Cleveland (I got one out of nine — one), a brand-new Undeveloped episode dropped, and our next book club pick is finally revealed. It's a lot, and it's all here this week. Bonus: a slow-cooker recipe built for game day, because it's football season and someone's got to feed the room.

Mackenzie Phillips is back for Part 2 — and this one goes deeper into trauma, recovery, shame, and forgiveness in ways that will stay with you long after it ends. Use code MACKANDME for your first month free and catch the live after-show with Mackenzie this Friday at 1pm ET. Jay Harrington also showed up to the wine cave with a box of wine (and Dave Foley is showing up this week!), the Smash Taco will ruin all other tacos for you, and the Recipe of the Week is the Chocolate-Mint Love Cake from the watch party episode that everyone is asking about.

She's finally here — Mackenzie Phillips, the most requested Getting Naked guest since day one, sits down with Val for a conversation 50 years in the making, with a live after-show on September 18th. Plus the first-ever Val's Round Up is out (Luna has news 🐾), the Hot in Cleveland pilot dress giveaway is officially live with automatic entry for every member, and the Recipe of the Week is a bubbling cast-iron Hatch chile cream cheese dip that is exactly what football season ordered.

Val opens with a heartfelt thank you for the community's love around Henry, then gets into a full week: Faith Ford on the podcast (warm, funny, and a Full Reveal no one saw coming), the SHIC Season 3 live recap is up, a Ham and Butter Baguette that's practically a love letter to Paris, and a Labor Day cocktails and mocktails playlist to send summer off right. September is stacked — six live events including a live podcast episode, a live AVA from backstage, and a second Undeveloped — plus a teaser that something big is coming on social this week. 👀

The weekly email is now going out on Mondays — you voted, Val listened. This week Najwa Zebian stops by for a Getting Naked conversation about healing, people-pleasing, and a Full Reveal moment Val has never shared publicly before. SHIC goes LIVE Wednesday to close out Season 3, Now We're Cooking LIVE is Friday, the Heart the Lover book club replay is up, and the Recipe of the Week is a braised heirloom garlic clove chicken thigh that will make your kitchen smell like fall is finally here.

Holly Robinson Peete stops by for one of Val's favorite podcast conversations yet — 30 years of marriage, autism advocacy, Parkinson's, showbiz survival, and a Full Reveal about something she wears every day. There's also a Season 3 finale deep-dive on SHIC with the director who staged Betty White, David Spade, and Regis Philbin in the same episode, a muffuletta-inspired baguette that Val can't stop making, and a Back to School Family Dinner playlist timed perfectly for September. Book club is next Thursday — hope you've been reading.